Front wheel drive



H. B. STUART Jung 30, 1931.

FRONT WHEEL DRIVE Filed June '7, 1929 ATTORNEY-5 PatentedfJune 3o, 1931i UNITED sTApTEs p Homin. B. STUART, or Dn'rnorr, moment FRONT WHEELDRIVE y vApplication iled June 7, 1929. Serial No. 369,187.

` The present invention pertains to` anovel front wheel drive mechanismforfvehicles, particularly referring to automobiles, trucks and suchvehicles. The primary object of the present invention is to devise amechanism for increasing the applied tractve effort byl propelling amotor vehicle throughv the front wheels as well as through therear-wheels.

Another object of the present invention isvto devise a front wheel drivefor an autov mobile or like vehicle which facilitates' the applicationof the motivepower to the steering wheels. The steering wheels althoughserving as driving wheels are capable of pivoting to change thedirection of travel of the vehicle, and serve as eiiiciently as if theywere not used for driving wheels. The en- .tire mechanism is completelyenclosed to prevent dust or dirt from hindering the operaf tion thereofand to permit satisfactory lubrication thereof.

With the above and other ends in view,

the present invention consists in the matters' hereinafter set forth`and more particularly pointed -gut in the appendedclaims, refer` encebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in which y igurev 1 is a crosssectional plan of the present front wheel drive mechanism;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional side elevation;

Figure 3 .is a cross sectional view on the line 3 3 of Figure 2,illustrating the enclosing casing in elevation, and

Figure 4 isa plan view of the housing illustrating the'slot formedtherein to permit the asembly of the steering knuckle in the housing. n

Like characters are employed throughout to designate the correspondingparts.

The numeral 1 indicates the front axle housing of a motor vehicle whichis' hollow and enlarged at,its Vouter end, this enlarged end beingprovided with a flange 2. A'substantially semi-circular housing 3 issecured to the flange 2 by means of the bolts 6. The outer face of thehousing 3 is provided with an opening 7 for a purpose which will becomeapparent as the description progresses. A driven shaft 8 extends throughthe hollow shoulder 23 which supports a washer 24 for axle 1 and has theinner end in connection with the automobile or truck motor throughsuitable power transmission gearing, the outerend which extends into thehousing 3y being suitably supported in the bearings 9. A'beveledgear I0is keyed to the portion of theshaft 8 which extends into the housing 3,the'gear being held in position by a nut 11.

The upper and lower walls of the housing 3 are provided with circularopenings 12 and 13 respectively in whichare mounted the r outer ballraces 14 and 15 respectively, these openings being provided for thepurpose of supporting the steering knuckle 16 and forming a shoulder 14which supports the ball race 14. The upper opening 12 is provided withaslot 4 and the lower opening 13 is connected to a groove 5, the slot 4and groove 5 permitting the steering knuckle to [be inserted in thecasing 3. The steering knuckle has mounted thereon the inner ball races17 and 18 corresponding respectively with the outer races 14 and 15 andbetween these corresponding races are mounted the balls 19 and 20. Uponthe upper end of the steer-75 ing knuckle 16 isvkeyed a lever 21,secured in place by a nut 22, the outer end of the lever f 21 beimYadapted for connection to a reach rod extending from the motor vehiclesteeri ing mechanism. A nut 16 is screwthreaded upon the lower end ofthe steering knuckle' for the purpose of retaining the inner` race 18 inits prop er position.

The steering knuckle 16 is provided with a the purpose of supporting theroller bearings 25 in contact with a ring 25( surrounding the knuckle,and in contact with a beveled gear 26 which surrounds the knuckle and*-which meshes with the beveled gear 10 mount- 90 ed on the shaft 8. Therollers 25/- are held from longitudinal movement in the opposite`direction by the outer ball race 27 :and an inner ball race 28 betweenwhich'are mounted the ball bearings 29. The outer race is secured in arecess 30 formed in the beveled gear by a perforated disk 31 and theinner race 28 is held in position by a spacer ring 32 surrounding thesteering knuckle which also serves to support the inner ball race 17.The

- circular opening 12 and the slot 4 are closed by a ring 33 which fitsaround the upper projecting end of the steeringknuckle which is providedwith packing 34. The opening 13 5 is sealed by a plate 35 which isheldtightly in place by bolts 36, the plate having a bearing 35 formedextendingaupwardly thereon to support the ball race 15.

A spindle 37 is formed on the knuckle 16 and projects outwardly throughthe opening 7 in the housing 3 and upon the spindle the wheel of themotor vehicle is to be mounted. Surrounding the spindle 37 is mounted .aspacer sleeve 38 which is held from longitudinal movement by a washer 39anda nut 40. the outer, end providing a race for the roller bearing 41.The inner end of the sleeve reta-ins the ball race 42 inv position surrounding tlie spindle 37 the ball race being retained on the otherside by a plate 43 which has a central opening so that it may be placedover the spindle 37. Opposite the ball race 42 is mounted a ball race 44in a beveled gear 45 which meshes with the beveled gear 26 on i thesteering knuckle, there being a series of ball bearings 46. Secured tothe beveled gear 45 by bolts 47 is an auxiliary spindle 48 having aportion 4 9 receiving the roller bearings 41, and also having a keygroove for securing the motor vehicle wheel thereto..

A .groove 51-is formed in the housing 3 and in this groove is mounted asemi-circular sealing plate 52 which is packed around the auxiliaryspindle 48 as indicated by thenumeral 53. The sealing plate 52 issecured to the plate 43 by means of bolts54 which thus secures thesealing plate to the spindles 37 and 48. Packing 55 is providedsurrounding the opening 7 to preventpil from passing out through theopening which is covered by the sealing plate 52.

In steering the motor vehicle the steering knuckle is turned by means ofthe lever 21 which rotates the steering knuckle 1G causingl the spindle37 and the parts carried thereon to swing in an arc. The sealingplate 52is formed concentric with the housing 3 and when the spindle swings inan are the sealing plate swingswin the groove 51 and thereby seals theopening 7 to prevent the oil which is contained in the housing 3 toescape therethrough. L

Y Rotation of the beveled gear 10 by means of the shaft 8 causes thebeveled gear 26 on the steering knuckle 16 to also be rotated, themanner in which the bearings arefmoiinted in the gear 26 permitting thesteering knuckle to be turned freely without being affected by rotationof the gear 26. Rotation of the gear 26 imparts rotation to the gear 45whichwimparts rotation to the auxiliary spindle 48 and which rotates themotor vehicle wheel (not shown) which i`s keyed C- thereto.

Although specific embodiments of my invention have been illustrated Yanddescribed, it

knuckle, a nut mounted upon a screwthreaded portion on the lower end ofsaid steering knuckle and butting against the bearing member received inthe counter-sunk opening in the lower wall of said housing wherebyupward movement of' said spindle is prevented, a cover plate secured tothe outer face of the lower wall of said housing to cover said circularopening therein, a cover plate-mounted upon the upper wall of saidhousing and having a circular openingtherein permitting the upper end ofthe steering knuckle to proj ect therethrough, a nut mounted upon theupper end of said steering knuckle and adap.ted to prevent downwardmovement thereof by reason of the cover plate on the top wall of saidhousing, and a spindle formed on said steering knuckle and adapted toproject through an elongated opening in the front vertical wall thereof.

,j `2. A front Wheel drive mechanism coinprising a semi-circular housinghaving counter-sunk circular openings formed in the top and bottom wallsthereof, a slot formed in the upper wall of said housing and openingvinto said circular opening, a steering knuckle having its endsprojecting into said circular openings, bearing members mounted in thecounter-sunk portions of said circular openings and supportingsaidsteering knuckle, a nut mounted upon a screwthreaded portion on thelower end of said steering knuckle and butting against the bearingmember received in the counter-sunk opening in the lower wall of saidhousing whereby upward movement `of said spindle is prevented, acover,platesecured to the outer face of the lower wall of said housingto cover said circular opening therein, a cover plate mounted upon theupper wall of said lhousing and having a circular opening thereinpermitting the upper end of the steering knuckleto project therethrough,a nut mounted upon the upper end of said steering knuckle and adapted toprevent downward movement thereofby reason of the cover plate on the topwall of said housing, a spindle mounted on said steering knuckle, anauxiliary spindlel mounted on said first named spindle, both of saidspindles being adapted to projeot u through an elongated opening in thefront vertical wall of said housing, a sealing plate mounted on saidauxiliary Spindle andreceived in a groove formed in the inner face ofthe vertical wall of said housing, and a train of beveled gears mountedin said housing for rotating said auxiliary spindle:

In testimony whereof I aliix m signature.

HOMER B. TUART.

